Woman's No-Makeup Selfie Leads To Lifesaving Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Selfies generally aren't good for much more than narcissistic validation.

But for 35-year-old Jackie Nicholas from Derby, England, taking a selfie saved her life.

When the #NoMakeupSelfie craze first began as a means to raise awareness for breast cancer, Nicholas joined in, posting a picture of herself sans cosmetics to Facebook.

When she was subsequently sent a link with instructions on how to self-check for lumps, Nicholas obliged, never expecting to find anything out of the ordinary.

To her astonishment, she discovered a mass the size of a frozen pea in her breast.

A doctor visit confirmed her fears: She had stage three breast cancer.

It took a mastectomy, lymph node removal and several rounds of chemo, but today, she's in remission -- and her doctors estimate she has an 80 percent chance of remaining cancer-free for the next five years.

Nicholas told Mirror,

I have a new outlook on life now. I really try to enjoy every moment and I try not to worry about little problems anymore.

It's a scary story and unfortunately one that has been told too many times -- often, without as happy an ending.

Women are advised to check their breasts monthly. If you're uncomfortable doing it yourself, have a doctor help you. Or, if you don't know how to self-check, learn how here.

Remember: Early detection is the key to survival, so don't ever ignore any mysterious lumps or bumps -- when it's your life at stake, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Citations: No Makeup Selfie Internet Trend Saves Womans Life After It Helps Her Detect Breast Cancer (Mirror)